Basic application question

[Cannasseur]

Just a simple application question for the gurus out there. At what rate (per gallon of substrate) should I mix the following amendments and conditioners..

Alfalfa meal
Rock phosphate
Kelp meal
Fish meal
Fish bone meal
Feather meal
K-mag
Crab meal
Greensand
Glacial rock dust
Azomite
Oyster shell flour
Dolomite lime

... Thank you in advance.

 

[h.h.]

Simple question. LOL
You need to split it into groups of NPK, cal/mag, micro nutrients, and I'm sure I'm leaving something out. Balance each of those groups individually, and then balance them as a whole.
Read the soil recipes. They'll give you a good idea of ratios. The work has already been done. I think for most folks, it's best just to follow them.

 

[guest2012y]

..could also say it depends on what else you've added when it comes to what % of any other amendment and it's specific quality on the soil.

If I were building a soil and wanted to incorporate these things...

Alfalfa meal
Rock phosphate
Kelp meal
Fish meal
Fish bone meal
Feather meal
K-mag
Crab meal
Greensand
Glacial rock dust
Azomite
Oyster shell flour
Dolomite lime

...I would start with a base mix and then figure out what amount of nutes/ferts to add according to the make up of the base mix..

I can tell you what amounts of each I would add as a stand alone....but I think what you want is a complete soil mix starting with a base and then amending to the correct amounts..

How much peat,perlite,vermiculite,topsoil,EWC,compost,coir are you using is where it starts.

 

[Iron_Lion]

Do some research!

It kills me when people just want answers handed to them.

If someone just tells you, you will learn nothing. Fertilize your brain with some knowledge.

 

[Cannasseur]

My apologies if I gave the impression that I didn't want to put the effort in myself. It's just a bit hard to navigate around on my phone....

Cc, my base mix consists of...
1/3 rice hulls
1/3 vermicompost
1/3 sphagnum peat moss

 

[growingcrazy]

I am just listing this for a reference..

I run all of those amendments, minus the k-mag.

In my flower mix i use 3/8 cup of each except dolomite, that get's 3/4 cup.

For my veg mix its just 1/8-1/4 cup each, whether it be a quick indica feeder or a long slow feeding sativa.

Base mix is 30% castings, 30% coco, 15% peat, 15% humus/manure, 10% diatomaceous earth.

 

[Cannasseur]

Thanks growingcrazy, to what volume of media are you mixing each amendment?

CC, I still would like to hear your procedure for building this mix.

 

[OrganicOzarks]

Just a simple application question for the gurus out there. At what rate (per gallon of substrate) should I mix the following amendments and conditioners..

Alfalfa meal
Rock phosphate
Kelp meal
Fish meal
Fish bone meal
Feather meal
K-mag
Crab meal
Greensand
Glacial rock dust
Azomite
Oyster shell flour
Dolomite lime

... Thank you in advance.

Do you want me to grow the plants for you too?

 

[Cannasseur]

How encouraging... Would you like to bring something constructive to the table?


Edit: Sorry for being snappy, I would honestly like to hear how to go about determining what rate to apply each of these amendments.

 

[Jungle.Microbes]

When you're building your first soil, it's best to keep it simple and build from there.. I've been recycling my soil for a while now, and my recipe is really simple.

30 gal used soil
~16 cups EWC (12 cups are in a 5lb bag)
~8 cups compost (I like to use shrimp compost as an added calcium source)

Then I mix a little food
1 cup bloom guano, blood meal, bone meal

Then I mix some rock powders. I forget the exact ratio, but it's between 1-2 cups of each. I try to target a 6-5-3 ratio (limestone, soft rock phosphate, gypsum) and then throw a cup or two of greensand and azomite in there.

soft rock phosphate
gypsum
high calcium limestone (mostly caco3- high source of calcium)
greensand
azomite

This is all I use for my soil mix, I water it with EWC/compost tea (5 gals worth), let it sit for a good 4 weeks or more, and then it's ready to use.. I mix in a bit of perlite when it gets heavy, but this produces really nice mineral rich soil. It's not too hot so I can plant clones directly into it, and use plain water with weekly EWC/compost teas.

I don't use too much "food" in my soil, rather I build it to support a microbe population, and rock powders are the best for that. The high levels of calcium make the plants stronger and I've noticed they're much more mite resistant.

 

[h.h.]

I didn't mean to turn this into a do it yourself thread. Surly there's no harm in asking. There is little sense in sowing seeds that have already been sown.
I meant quite the opposite. The work has already been done in the stickys. It has also been tested over and over.
If you were to bake a loaf of bread, you would follow a recipe. Once you see how all the ingredients intermix, then you may want to start substitutions. Wet for wet and dry for dry, but be prepared for failure if you use sugar for salt. It's an art.
The important thing is to get mixed up and planted. Start growing.
Start out with a small list, then add to it. That's when you do the research. Learn each ingredient individually.
I'm with Iron Lion. The research should be done. It's just more rewarding if you can do it smoking a homegrown fatty.
I still remember when people would pass up on homegrown. I was getting Big Sur homegrown at the time that changed a lot of minds.
I didn't know how to grow it, yet it didn't stop me. I didn't try to reinvent it. I just asked for answers.

 

[guest2012y]

....ugh


Alfalfa meal.....1 to 2 tablespoons per cubic foot
Rock phosphate....1 tablespoon per cubic foot
Kelp meal.......1 to 1 1/2 cups per cubic foot
Fish meal......1 cup per cubic foot
Fish bone meal.....1 to 1 1/2 cup per cubic foot
Feather meal...why.?...don't need it.
K-mag...1 to 2 tablespoons per cubic foot
Crab meal...1 cup per cubic foot
Greensand....why?....don't need it if you have kelp.
Glacial rock dust....1 cup per cubic foot
Azomite....... 1cup per cubic foot
Oyster shell flour......1 to 2 tablespoons per cubic foot
Dolomite lime.....1 to 2 tablespoons per cubic foot of PEAT!!!

This should work...let it cook/breakdown properly. This will be a water only no ph mix that will probably need some feeding in mid-flower....depending on the type of cannabis that is grown in it (sativa/indica/hybrid)....also look to incorporate compost and pumice if you will...and recycle this soil gawd dammit!!~

 

[growingcrazy]

Thanks growingcrazy, to what volume of media are you mixing each amendment?

CC, I still would like to hear your procedure for building this mix.

Sorry! lol

I forgot the most needed part.. 18 gallons of base mix.

 

[Cannasseur]

Thanks everyone for the help.

CC, all those rates are based on th amount of peat not the volume of the entire mix, right?

 

[guest2012y]

Thanks everyone for the help.

CC, all those rates are based on th amount of peat not the volume of the entire mix, right?

No...per one cubic foot of soil mix...the dolomite is for the peat.